What effect did the Magna Charta have on human rights in Western civilizations?
The Magna Charta, coming out of England, delineated some human rights where none had existed before. Before it, there was no such thing as human rights. Since then, Western civilizations have had at least a semblance of human rights, though many people still live downtrodden and in poverty.
Les explains that throughout human history, unless one lived among the very elite ruling class, life was mere existence, often under abject poverty, slavery, and oppression. He notes that it was not until the Magna Charta came out of England, in about the 14th century, that some human rights were delineated. Before that, he says, there was no such thing as human rights. Since the Magna Charta, Western civilizations have had at least a semblance of human rights, but he stresses this is not utopia; many people are still downtrodden, groveling in poverty, and lacking this world's goods, even though the nation is blessed.